Fabric covered button



Feb. 8, 1955 A SNDERBY y 2,701,400

FABRIC COVERED BUTTON Filed Aug. 28, 1950 n l {P9/L0. I.

fb l 3 ,3 JC

l 2 la,

2 JGZ J 1f 1f e INVENTOR @aye 5071 ery ATTORNEY United States Patent OFABRIC COVERED BUTTON Aage Snderby, Oslo, Norway, assignor to Ole OlsenBull, Oslo County, Norway Application August 28, 1950, Serial No.181,803

2 Claims. (Cl. 24113) This invention relates to fabric-covered buttons,and one object thereof is to provide a button basically consisting ofonly two elements of different natures, one of which may be adorned atthe will of the user, and is adapted to be essentially manuallyseparably assembled with the other elements through a particularreaction therebetween to form a circumferential separable joint.

Another object of the invention is to reduce to a minimum the separationof the elements during the normal act of bnttoning and unbuttoning agarment carrying the buttons while still possessing the advantage of theseparable joints therebetween.

A button within this invention consists of an outer member in the formof a ring, and a unitary inner member, disk-like in form having adiameter corresponding in form and size to that of the said ring,adapted to be sewn to a garment, one of said members having a stiffnature, and the other having an elastic nature, the edge of one memberhaving a circumferential groove therein. and the circumferential edge ofthe other member formed to fit said groove, the internal diameter ofsaid ring permitting the said inner member to be passed into and removedfrom said ring through either side thereof, as hereinafter moreparticularly explained.

Fig. l is a side elevation of the preferred form of the button, partlyin section.

Fig. 2 is a front or top view of the button.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing a modified form of innercircumference of the ring and a modified form of the outer circumferenceof the inner membe".

In the drawings like characters of reference refer to the same parts.

The numeral 1 designates the disk-like unitary inner member of thebutton made of elastic material such as rubber or rubber compound, andthe numeral 1d designates a concave groove formed in the outercircumferential edge of this member. The character 1a designates theconvex form of the inner edge of the unattached ring 2, which is made ofsuitable non-elastic material such as wood or suitable plastic material.This ring has an internal diameter providing an unobstructed passagethrough the ring so that the member 1 which has a diameter correspondingin form and size to that of the said ring may be readily passed into andout of the ring through either side of the ring.

lf a fabric covering 3 is desired to be used with this button the top orouter side of the button will be made convex in form.

To assemble the preferred form of button with a fabric covering, thering 2 is held in horizontal position and then the member 1, with thefabric draped thereover with the fringe le thereof extending below thegroove 1d, is passed into the ring through the under side thereof. Thismovement will deflect the fabric-covered upper 1in 1c of the groovecircumferentially and downwardly longitudinally of the button as it ispassed through the ring in contact with the convex inner edge 1a of thering 2, thus stretching the fabric and bringing it closely over theWhole surface of the member 1 until the middle of the groove registerswith the convex edge of the ring thus securely clamping the fringe 1e ofthe fabric in place. Obviously during this seating operation the lowerlip 1f of the groove in the member 1 will be displaced chiely by thethickness of said fringe as the member Fice 1 is finally coupled to thering. Thus it will be seen that the lips of the groove 1d are displacedto jointly function to a common end but to a different degree during theplacing of the inner member in position within the ring to the formationof a separable joint that will firmly hold the two members togetherwhether a fabric covering be used or not.

In the modified form of button shown in Fig. 3 with a fabric covering 3thereover, the ring 2 is made of material suiciently elastic to permitthe internal diameter thereof to be circumferentially expanded, and theinner side or edge 2a thereof is provided with a concave groove. Theouter circumferential edge 1b of the member 1 is convex in form. In thisform of this member it is made of nonelastic material of any suitablekind.

As the member 1' is being passed into the ring 2 the apex of the convexedge 1b covered by the fringe of the fabric, if used, will contact theannular lip 1g of the ring 2 through the fabric and circumferentiallyradially stretch said ring until this convex edge has become fullyseated in the concave edge or rim of said ring. During this seatingoperation the fabric covering, if used, will have been evenly stretchedover the member 1 and its fringe clamped in place.

The disk-like middle member of this button may be adorned in anysuitable manner not necessarily of the nature of a fabric, and hence thetop of the middle may be at and the button marketed without a fabriccoverlng.

Both forms of the inner member of the button are provided with a stem atthe inner side thereof through which is formed a hole 4 for the thread.

In the preferred form of the member 1 the lips 1c and 1f aresubstantially in alignment longitudinally of the button, and hence theirengagement with the ring 2 will offer resistance to any force broughtinto play during the bnttoning and unbuttoning of a garment tending todisplace the ring. Likewise in the alternative form the lips 1j and 1gof the groove in the ring 2 are in the same relative positions as thelips 1c and 1f to the longitudinal axis of the button and will coactwith the convex edge of the member 1 for the same purpose.

I claim:

1. A separable button framework adapted to be sewn to a garment andsurfaced with a changeable fabric facing including an inner resilientdisc having a uniformly curved circumferential edge portion with axiallyaligned opposite lip edges and provided with an integral convex surfaceon one side and a perforated fastening stem on the opposite side, thesaid convex surface and the said perforated fastening stem beingseparated by the said uniformly curved circumferential edge portion, anda non-resilient outer ring member having its inner diametersubstantially of the same diameter as the said circumferential edgeportion and having an inner face curvature uniformly tting against thesaid curved circumferential edge portion of said inner disc andremovable from either side of said disc, the inner peripheral face ofsaid ring further being of the same thickness as said circumferentialedge portion.

2. A separable button framework as claimed in claim 1 provided with afabric covering on said convex surface and clamped between the saiduniformly curved circumferential edge portion of said inner disc and theinner face curvature of said non-resilient outer ring member.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,056,020 Graham Mar. 18, 1913 1,124,540 Simmons Ian. 12, 1915 1,164,460Bradley Dec. 14, 1915 1,399,730 Abe Dec. 13, 1921 FOREIGN PATENTS206,509 Germany Feb. 4, 1909 384,018 France Ian. 23, 1908 821,447 FranceAug. 23, 1937

